Posted by deafwinghmmm given the quality of this title - I'm guessing it will be ez to port psn titles to the vita .. that sounds cool ... I'm still not sold though

If only we were ever that lucky. Truth be told, for a portable game system, PSN, XBLA, WiiWare level is all we really need. The very fact that some of the absolute best games this entire generation have come in downloadable form, should be a wake-up call to both Sony and Nintendo.

I mean think about it. The graphics and production values level exhibited by some of the best downloadable games out there, is more than enough for a portable console (especially one with a nigh-HD screen like the PSV), and the price of games ranging from $10 to $15 each, keeps dedicated portables from running too much risk of having their marketshare further eroded by multipurpose mobile computing ecosystems like the Android Market and the App Store.

Even though I have a Vita pre-ordered, and know that I am going to love it, I really get the feeling that neither Nintendo nor Sony gave any real thought to their business model moving forward. Their business models are essentially what they were with their previous portables. But with the uptake of Android and iOS, and the entire mobile game industry shifting in that direction, it's like both companies chose to pretend they are in a vacuum and what is going on in the mobile space, does not have any effect on the core business of dedicated games portable. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nintendo is currently having their ass handed to them in the portable space for the first time in history, because they refused to acknowledge the fact that they are not in a vacuum, and no many how many times the heads of their PR department says so, Nintendo is in direct competition with the dominant mobile gaming platforms, iOS and Android.

And the scariest thing about the Vita, is Sony has pretty much echoed Nintendo in that Vita and iOS are not vying for the same markets. And as a core gamer, it is easy to write off the mobile markets as a casual-only market. But you would be extremely myopic to do so. Core game companies are investing billions into the mobile marketplace, Unreal Engine has been ported over with id Tech, Source and others on the way, very GOOD core games are popping up all over the mobile space for $15 (or less) each, and thanks to cloud services like OnLive and GameStop, at some point this fall, you'll be able to even play full-blown, core PC games on your tablet or smartphone. And that's all happening this year - not some distant point in the future.

Core games are coming to the two dominant mobile platforms in a huge way. They are adopting some of the same business models that have made casual games so successful in the same space - like lowering the price of games to something more befitting a portable game. And all the while Sony and Nintendo are running about pretending that 3DS and Vita exist in a vacuum beyond the reach of iOS and Android.

I'm going to love my Vita. But I make no illusions going in, about it's long term sustainability beyond the first year to market. Sony needs to get the price of the system down below $200 within the first year. They need to create a realistic, and sustainable wireless strategy. They need to focus heavily on development of games that cost in the $10 to $15 range. And they need to explore alternative business models, and revenue streams for the games. And then get the PSV redesign to market ASAP, having implemented the market lessons they have learned into the heart of the new design.

Untill ios devices get buttons and analogue sticks they will NEVER offer a core experience. The touch screen gimmicks and motion controls in the vita arnt what will sell it, it will be the ability to play real games on a real handheld. At least that's why i'm buying it. It's the ability to play a full fledged uncharted title, not some 'dumbed down for touch screen' wannabe. SOME devs have shown games can LOOK like core games on ios devices. Ea with dead space, id with rage, epic with infinity blade, but these are all casual experiences. And when they're not (dead space) they have utterly awful touch screen analogue sticks and buttons that make them infinately less engaging.

Current phones and tablets can easily produce visuals that could satisfy any gamer, but they cant do much else in terms of gameplay. Which for the casual angry birds player wont mean jack shit, but for me. It means everything. Give me a choice of playing an FPS with the vita or an ipad, and the choice is obvious.

At any rate, this game isnt looking so hot. Better things to buy for the console.

Posted by XoarIm surprised Sony is still funding Zipper after the disaster of their last 2 games.

Mag did well from what i remember. And it was pretty good, team work happens more often in that then it does in BF3 at any rate. Socom 4 i didnt mind either. Not the game a lot of socom fanboys wanted tho, hence the poor sales. I liked the changes to the series tho. It retained the tactical nature of combat, but was less overwhelming and clunky. More fluid. People cried "cod clone" but it didnt play anything like that.

Loakum
Wow...these Bloodborne bosses are INSANE! I haven't got my ass kicked this much since my Detroit Public school days.. (1 Hour ago)

Melmoth
@Megido: i used to be a shield-guy ..until i played the Dark Souls Expansion that is :). Then i learned to time my rolls. but i feel the dashes in BB are a bit lousy in some boss battles. (2 Hours ago)

Megido
@rayy: If you are a veteran you are probably used to playing without a shield anyway, but the higher pace has tripped me up quite a few times. (2 Hours ago)

Sdarts
@rayy: It's the game's tagline, something that you should relate to. A hunter goes after its prey, not away from it. In BB's lore, you're a "Hunter" and when you kill a boss, it says: Prey Slaughtered (2 Hours ago)